Academy
by Katie-hime
Summary: It's finally happened- Ichigo's body has bit the dust. Now he's off to Soul Society to start a career in the Gotei 13, and in order to do his job well, he's got to get through Shino Academy. Of course, the famous Kurosaki Ichigo can't just drop into the academy, so he'll be in disguise... as a girl!
1. Chapter 1

Hi there, and welcome to Academy! I have a couple of things to note before you start reading. Firstly, I've rated this fic M for language, innuendo and sexual situations (probably- we'll see where this goes); however there will be nothing explicit. If that's what you're looking for, you won't find it here. Second, I will be using Japanese honorifics as I feel they are called for. While I am not Japanese, I am studying the language and culture on my own time, and feel that I have a reasonable grasp of how honorifics are used; if I make a mistake, please let me know! I will also be using taicho/captain and fukutaicho/lieutenant interchangeably (although the Soutaicho will always be the Soutaicho). Third and last, name and place spellings have been pulled from the North American Bleach wiki.

That's all for now, I hope you enjoy, and please do leave a review on your way out!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Bleach.

* * *

"Really, Ichigo, of all the things that could possibly have happened, you just had to go like this," Rukia sighed. "Moron! You could have at least hopped _out_ of your body first!"

"Like I really had time to think that far ahead," Ichigo scoffed, then grabbed the back of his head with both hands, cussing as he dealt with the pain from another punch from the midget. "Look, can't you just use the memory modifier?"

"NO, you IDIOT! LOOK! The police, the fire department, and ambulance, bystanders, all these PEOPLE! It's too late this time, strawberry, you're dead for good."

"Well, shit," he grumbled. "I've been dead for a while I guess, but I didn't think I'd have to leave so soon. I wonder if Urahara can come up with something…" he mused idly.

"Anyways, let's go," she said, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Where?"

Ichigo ducked the punch, but didn't move fast enough to evade the kick to his shins. "To let everyone know, then to Soul Society, moron," came the answer as he hopped around on one foot.

* * *

A few hours later, Ichigo stood in the First Division's meeting hall, waiting while the captains assembled. The pre-meeting chatter was noisy, especially since the lieutenants were in attendance as well. Finally, after several embarrassing minutes of Ichigo explaining his death by bus to chuckling friends, Kyoraku called the meeting to order.

"You all know why we're here," he stated, launching straight into the topic without preamble. "Ichigo has met his human end, and now we need to decide what to do with him. Now that he's died, first I'd like to confirm that there is no reason to put him through konso. Urahara-san?"

Urahara stepped forward from his position in the line of captains. The green kimono from his days in the Living World had been replaced with a shinigami's black shihakusho and a captain's haori, but he retained the green and white striped hat and the clogs. Benihime rode at his hip, no longer disguised, and he opened his fan, bringing it in front of his face as he began to speak.

"Regarding konso: some of you have postulated that, upon his human death, Kurosaki-san's hollow would take the opportunity to assume control." Out of the corner of his eye, Urahara saw Ichigo muffle a snort. "I regret to inform you that this has already happened!" he exclaimed cheerfully, hiding his grin behind the fan.

The eyes of several captains and lieutenants widened, then turned to Ichigo, who glared back. Hands drifted towards zanpakuto; everyone who had experience with Ichigo's hollow was tense. Everyone, that is, save the Visored, Rukia and Yoruichi, who were visibly trying to keep straight faces. "Explain," snapped Byakuya, his hand resting on Senbonzakura's hilt.

"I've been dead for eight years," Ichigo stated sarcastically, emphasizing his point with an eye roll.

"Come again?" said Ukitake, looking shocked.

Ichigo sighed. "After Byakuya destroyed my Saketsu and Hakusui, I had no power, and I needed it to come after Rukia. Geta-boshi helped me get that power by awakening my shinigami heritage; to do it, he cut my Chain of Fate. After all, shinigami are dead, right?" he said with a smirk.

At this point, incredulous faces turned back to Urahara, who stared back at them with mirth in his eyes. "What," he said lightly, "you thought that he was a human who could pop in and out of his body at will, without being connected to it? No such thing exists!"

"At that point, Ichigo's hollow did start trying to take over," Shinji said, picking up the narrative. "It took a couple of months for him to come to us, but when he did, we taught him to suppress it. Although, it seems their relationship is somewhat different now; he's got access to a lot more of his hollow powers than we do," he finished thoughtfully.

"That happened when I learned the Final Getsuga Tensho," Ichigo said quietly, bringing all eyes back to him. The Visored had never gotten an answer out of him regarding his changed relationship with his hollow; neither had Urahara, nor Rukia. It seemed like this time, he was ready to answer. He lowered his gaze, staring down at the floor, and thought for a moment; he was going to be a permanent resident in Soul Society now, maybe it was time that they knew. _What do you think, guys,_ he asked his partners. _Should we tell them?_

_**I have always believed that you were foolish to hide it from them, **_Zangetsu answered. _**I am glad that you have finally realized you gain nothing by concealing the truth.**_

**I wanna watch!** the hollow exclaimed. **This should be hilarious!** He was cackling already.

Ichigo sighed, and nodded, ignoring Shirosaki's obvious glee. He allowed the hollow to come to the front of his consciousness, then raised his eyes to the group. His gold-on-black eyes.

Most of the group flinched visibly, and a few of them took a step backwards. More hands landed on zanpakuto hilts. The room was completely silent, and the tension built. Finally, Rukia took a hesitant step forwards, her hand clutching Sode no Shirayuki's hilt. "Ichigo?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Ichigo smiled, his posture completely relaxed. "Yes, midget?"

This produced the expected reaction: a fist crashing down on his head. "Explain, idiot!" she snapped.

"The hollow is a part of me," he said quietly, looking her in the eye.

"Yeah, we get that, dickhead," Hiyori started, but Ichigo cut her off sharply.

"No, you don't. You treat your hollow as a separate being that you have to battle, keep away, and block out. It's not. Shirosaki is a part of my power, just like Zangetsu. He is a part of _me_, an _equal_, not inferior. I accept him as he is, just like I accept Zangetsu, and he accepts me. Even if he is annoying."

Stunned silence followed Ichigo's explanation. No one knew how to react; after all, hollows were evil, right? They were to be exterminated, not accepted. How were they supposed to behave around someone who said that his hollow was a part of him?

Ichigo watched them struggle with his revelation, inwardly joining Shirosaki in laughing at their bewildered expressions. The Visored in particular were supremely entertaining; all of them looked as though they had been hit over the head with a two-by-four. His shoulders started to shake; his chest trembled; finally, he couldn't hold it in any more. Ichigo dissolved into laughter, clutching his sides and gasping for air.

If his statements about his relationship with his hollow had stunned the group, this confused them even more. It was rare for Ichigo to so much as smile openly, and now he was laughing helplessly? Again, it was Rukia who broke the silence. "What?" she demanded.

"You… ahahaha… should see(_heeheeheehee_) your faces!" Ichigo said between giggles. Startled, the captains and lieutenants looked around at each other, then quickly looked away (many of them at the floor), feeling sheepish. Finally, Zaraki burst out laughing.

"This is great!" he exclaimed. "Now you've got that much more power! You have to fight me!"

"I've had the power since mine were reawakened, idiot, it's nothing new," Ichigo retorted quickly, feeling somewhat alarmed. He really didn't feel like fighting Kenpachi right now. **Yeah, but later…** Shirosaki said, grinning.

_Maybe_, Ichigo replied to his hollow.

"I suppose we should talk about this," Shinji grumbled, looking around at the other Visored.

"Later," Kyoraku said, knowing the meeting was getting off-track. He turned to Ichigo. "I'm confused about one thing. If you've been dead for eight years, why did you go back to being human after Aizen?"

"Allow me to answer that, Soutaicho," Urahara said. "You see, after I severed Kurosaki-san's Chain of Fate, his human body essentially became a gigai. Returning him to his body after he lost his powers to the Final Getsuga Tensho was the same as putting a wounded shinigami in a gigai to recover. It's worth noting that he would have recovered without assistance; it simply would have taken much longer."

"How do you know that?" asked Toshiro.

"Kurosaki-san's father, of course," Urahara replied. "I'm surprised you don't remember, Hitsugaya-san; you did work with him, after all."

"Kisuke, stop teasing him," Ichigo scolded his teacher. He turned to Toshiro, who was giving him a puzzled look. "I'm surprised that you haven't run into him yet, to be honest. My dad is your predecessor, Toshiro, Shiba Isshin, although he goes by Kurosaki now. Zangetsu is apparently pretty similar to his Engetsu, and he has a Final Getsuga Tensho as well; he used it about thirty years ago, and has been in a gigai since. He's been able to take on his soul form since the war, although he says he's still not back to full strength."

Toshiro's eyes widened a bit as he absorbed the fact that his annoying captain was the annoying Kurosaki Ichigo's father. Then he snorted. "That actually explains a lot," he muttered.

"Indeed," agreed Komamura, the only other captain who had not made the connection. "I believe that answers the question of konso thoroughly. Kurosaki has shinigami blood, and is already in control of his hollow. Therefore, what do we do with him now?"

"Make him a captain," said Shinji, sporting his Cheshire cat grin. "What!?" he exclaimed as eyes turned to him. "He's more powerful than most of us, and a good leader. Hell, most of us were ready to follow him during the war, and we still have two divisions without captains."

"True," replied Suì-Fēng, "but he is young and lacks real leadership experience."

"I'm sorry, explain that to me. He's lead successful invasion and rescue forces in two worlds, managed the defense of Karakura town for six years, kept the human team in Karakura organized, _and_ managed to graduate from high school and university at the same time," Urahara retorted, earning himself a glare from the diminutive captain of the Second Division.

"Both points have merit," Byakuya stated. "Kurosaki does have power and leadership experience in the field. However, he knows little of our history and customs, and his knowledge of kido is… less than adequate." Renji snorted at this last statement, while Ichigo shifted uncomfortably.

"So we teach him," Ukitake said quietly.

"How?" asked Kensei. "Private tutoring? I don't know about the rest of you, but I've got enough to do with my division as is."

"Simple," Kyoraku said, looking up and down the rows of his subordinates and finally settling on Ichigo. "We put a limiter on him and send him to the Academy."

There was a beat of silence following the Soutaicho's statement, followed by loud coughing as laughter was hastily covered. Ichigo scowled at his friends (Renji, Rukia and Shinji earning themselves particularly fierce looks) and then sighed again. "I don't object to the idea," he said, "but how is this going to work with a captaincy?" Incredulous eyes turned to him again, many of the captains and lieutenants believing that he would fight tooth and nail against spending time in a school where he had more power in his pinky than any of the teachers, much less his peers. "Believe it or not, I like learning, and I'm good at it. I'd like to get to know more about Soul Society, both inside the Seireitei and in Rukongai. The Academy seems like the right place to do that, since it has connections to both and teaches about our history as a whole," he shrugged. "Still, it's going to pose two problems. First, I'm way too recognizable, I'd never learn anything about the average Shinigami because they would all be treating me differently." He scowled again at this thought. "Second," he continued, "if you really want me as a captain, can you afford to wait six years for me to graduate?"

"Both valid questions," Ukitake commented.

"If I may," Kisuke offered, waiting briefly for a nod from Kyoraku, "I believe I can offer an solution for both.

"As we all know, Kurosaki-san has previously demonstrated a high capacity for balancing school life with shinigami duties. Therefore, why not have him take over a division and attend the Academy at the same time? It is not as though the majority of the material will be new to him, which will significantly reduce the number of hours he will need to study, and we can offer our support with the division paperwork. After all, we all know that that's what takes up most of our time," he said wryly.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask about that," Ichigo jumped in. He glanced back and forth between Urahara and Kyoraku as he delivered his next question. "Why is it that Soul Society isn't running on computers? I mean, you could probably drop the amount of time spent on paperwork to a quarter of what it is right now just by giving each captain and lieutenant a tablet." By the time he finished him comment, most of the meeting's attendees were staring at him. Feeling awkward, he scratched the back of his head. "What?" he asked sheepishly. "I know you've got computers in the Twelfth, Urahara, surely it can't be that much of a stretch to get a network up and running."

"Indeed," Urahara muttered, snapping his mouth shut and mentally kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner. He sighed as Benihime snickered about his age beginning to show. "We'll discuss it later?" he asked the Soutaicho.

"As soon as we're done with the question of Ichigo's placement. Now, how do you propose to have him at the Academy and as a taicho? He's right about the fame issue."

Urahara settled his face into a devious, knowing grin, and fluttered his fan, making Ichigo go instantly to red alert; he had seen that look _far_ too many times, and it usually meant something either painful, embarrassing, or both was coming in the near future. He wasn't the only one to think so; the four captains standing immediately around him carefully shuffled back. "Simple," Urahara said gleefully. "While at his division, Kurosaki-san will be himself, the hero we all know. However," the grin widened and the index finger came up, "at the Academy, he will wear a limiter and appear to be what no one would expect… a girl!"

Stunned silence followed this statement. Ichigo's eyes widened, then he blinked. Urahara counted… three…two…one….

"OH _HELL_ NO! NO WAY, YOU CRAZY PERVERT!"

"Hmm…" Kyoraku hummed with an amused glint in his eye. "That could work!" Ichigo spluttered.

"You must admit, it could, Kurosaki-kun," Ukitake added gently, trying to calm the man. Of course, this was proving to be difficult as his rage was fueled by the peals of laughter issuing from certain captains and lieutenants.

"Awww, come on, Ichi-chan!" Rangiku sing-songed, drawing Ichigo's attention away from beating Urahara (who was internally relieved; seriously, it was _hard_ fending off the Visored and laughing at the same time!). "You'd be such a cute girl! Just think, we could use our feminine power together!" she cried as she crossed her arms under her breasts, pushing them up to clearly show what she meant. It accomplished exactly what she wanted as Ichigo went bright red with a yell and stumbled backwards, away from the twin terrors; Rangiku, Renji, Ikkaku and Hirako all promptly lost it and doubled over laughing.

"Seriously though, Ichigo," Kyoraku said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes, "you have no objections to attending the academy and becoming a captain, provided we can disguise you?"

"No," Ichigo replied, still glaring at Urahara, who grinned back.

"Good," the soutaicho stated, sounding satisfied. Ichigo started to turn towards him to see what the tone was about; however, the movement finished as a startled squeak as he was pounced on by no fewer than eight of the assembled captains and lieutenants.

"GAH! What….! Oi, hold it!" Protesting was useless, though, and he shortly found himself pinned down, watching as Urahara approached with _that_ smile on his face and a black collar in his hands.

"Now, don't worry, Ichi-chan!" the crazy taicho sang. "This won't hurt a bit… though you may have a teensy headache when you wake up!"

And with that, everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for the positive response to chapter 1!

Something came up in the reviews from the first chapter that made me uncomfortable, so I would like to clarify something about this story: I am going to be exploring gender issues and the spectrum that is human sexuality. If the idea of a transgender person makes you uncomfortable, you will probably **not** enjoy this story. You are within your rights to feel uncomfortable about transgender issues, however, this is not the place for you to discuss/vent/make broad statements. You have a choice to not read what makes you uncomfortable (although personally, I think you should read about it, try to learn more about it, and try to empathize). Also, should a review like this appear again, I ask that you allow me to deal with it, or indicate your discomfort with the reviewer's comments in a civil manner. Jumping on someone is not going to help them learn!

That being said, a couple of notes about this chapter! First, I didn't just choose taiko drumming because it's Japanese, I actually had the chance to do a course in taiko when I was in university, and let me say that it is awesome, but very, _very _loud (especially on Monday morning at 8 am :P)! Second, there's a discussion of spirit energy in this chapter, so remember!** reishi=spirit particles** (although that doesn't come up), **reiryoku=spirit energy**, which is similar to but not the same as **reiatsu=spirit pressure**.

Also, preemptively, no! Yoruichi is not in charge of the Second Division, she's just here to stir up trouble :P

Last thing! Note that Ichigo **is still male** and still thinks of himself as "he". He will be referred to as "he" for the near future, until he really starts to develop and adjust to a female persona; then the pronouns will change.

Now that all that's out of the way, enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to leave a review on your way out!

DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Bleach, but sadly, no.

* * *

Ichigo woke up with a taiko group performing in his head. He could swear there were at least six enthusiastic drummers pounding away on the inside of his skull. _Teensy headache, my ass_, was his first coherent thought. He vaguely registered that he was lying down somewhere. Opening his eyes didn't provide any clues to his location, as all he could see was a plain ceiling, and plain walls as he turned his head; he did seem to be on a futon, though, not a Western bed, so that ruled out the Fourth. Slowly, he tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan as the pounding doubled and a wave of dizziness washed over him. _What the hell did he do to me this time?_ he grumbled internally as he remembered Urahara coming towards him with the collar.

**I'm pretty sure ya know the answer ta that, King,** Shiro snickered. **Ya might wanna get your ass up and find a mirror.**

Ichigo blanched at the reminder. Slowly, hesitantly, he moved his hands up towards his chest… and encountered two lumps that _definitely_ weren't there before. His hands went downward in a panic, only to discover that he was (*gulp*) anatomically correct… for a female.

_But…. But….But….NOOOOO! I'm a DUDE, why do I have lady-bits!?_

Shiro's snicker developed into a full-blown cackle at Ichigo's plaintive wail. He let his King carry on for a few moments, then dragged him into his inner world, laughing even harder as the young man frantically checked that he was, indeed, still a man in his head. Even Zangetsu was chuckling by the time Ichigo had finished making sure all his parts were present and accounted for.

Finally satisfied that his sexual identity hadn't been completely overturned by whatever Urahara had done to him, Ichigo turned to glare at his counterparts. "Will you two shut up and help me figure out what the hell is going on?" he growled at them.

"Sure, King… or should I say Queen?" Shiro gasped, sending himself and Zangetsu into convulsions again.

Ichigo snarled and tackled the hollow, who fended him off in a somewhat uncoordinated manner as he continued to giggle. Giggle! Honestly, that was something Ichigo had never thought to witness. Cackling and maniacal laughter, absolutely (quite regularly, in fact), but giggling?

Zangetsu was the first to recover his composure, as usual, and he watched the two of them wrestle. Insults were being thrown by Ichigo at a prodigious rate, which was not helping Shiro stop laughing…. Eventually, after a particularly good shot to the hollow's stomach, they both flopped on their backs, catching their breath.

"Urahara is so dead," Ichigo stated.

"Great!" Shiro replied. "Can we torture him first?"

The berry snorted, but didn't answer, going back to watching the sideways clouds.

"I believe the discussion indicated that this would not be permanent," Zangetsu commented. "And your reiatsu does seem to be restrained. We could enter shikai, but nothing more without breaking the seal."

"What do you mean 'enter shikai'?" Ichigo asked, sitting up to look at the zanpakuto spirit. "We're always in shikai, you've never been sealed."

"Do you recall the size of the zanpakuto you used when you first absorbed Rukia's power?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was as long as I was tall."

"That was an indication of both your significant spiritual pressure and your lack of control," Zangetsu replied. "While both of those have increased since then, your control is still not sufficient for the amount of reiryoku you need to manage."

"In other words, ya still suck at it," Shiro grinned, getting a scowl from Ichigo.

"Yeah, right, Ichigo stinks at controlling his reiatsu. I know that," he scoffed, used to being prodded about his lack of control by, well, everyone. He turned back to Zangetsu as the hollow sneered at him. "So why are you in a sealed form now?"

"Reach out and feel your energy," the zanpakuto replied, turning the question into a teaching moment. He watched as his wielder closed his eyes and stretched out his senses, then opened them again, looking shocked.

"Holy shit, did they ever drop me!" Ichigo exclaimed. "I'm down to, what, around ten percent?"

"More like five," the hollow commented.

"So that's enough to put you into a sealed state?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes," the spirit responded.

"Why?"

Zangetsu looked somewhat startled at the question; had no one ever explained reiryoku circulation to Ichigo? He shared a look with the hollow- perhaps now their wielder would make some progress. Sitting down with the pair, he began to explain.

"Every soul has reiryoku constantly circulating through their form, no matter how small an amount; it's what binds a soul into a form, rather than just being energy. If enough energy is present, a zanpakuto will manifest as another outlet for the pressure, rather than containing it all in the body. The amount of reiryoku flowing through the zanpakuto is what determines its state.

"For most shinigami, attaining shikai is not simply a matter of forming a partnership with their zanpakuto, they must also learn to increase their reiryoku circulation, which creates reiatsu, and direct enough of their reiatsu into the blade," he continued. "You are an exception to this, Ichigo. The amount of reiryoku you circulate through my form is well beyond what is needed to maintain shikai; you must instead learn to direct the flow elsewhere, in order to release me into my sealed form."

"Think of it like a river, King, with sluice gates to control the flow," Shiro added. "Right now, all of your sluice gates are wide open. Ya gotta learn to close 'em up, move the flow elsewhere."

"Ok, I get that, but what does this have to do with you being in sealed form now?" Ichigo asked.

"The limiter placed on you creates an internal loop of reiryoku, and will only allow a set amount to circulate through other channels," Zangetsu replied. "Your reiryoku is still circulating in the same proportions, but the amount allowed by the limiter is not enough to maintain shikai."

"I see. So I have to learn how to change where my energy is flowing through my body?" Both spirits nodded at him. "Why did no one tell me this before?"

"They musta thought ya'd be smart enough ta work it out yaself, King," Shiro snickered, earning himself a glare.

"It seems likely that no one has thought to," Zangetsu said. "It must be something that is taught very early at the academy; perhaps we shall find out."

"Mmm," Ichigo hummed in acknowledgement, looking back at the clouds. "Speaking of, how the hell am I a girl, and what are we going to do to punish Urahara?"

"I say we prank 'im for all we're worth," the hollow exclaimed cheerfully; he had become significantly less bloodthirsty since admitting his priorities, namely protecting Ichigo.

"I believe that we have more targets than just Urahara," the zanpakuto commented. "You were jumped on by several others; I counted Rukia, Renji, Shinji, and Kensei among them."

"And Lisa, Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Hiyori. Not to mention Kyoraku seemed to be… very prepared for the direction of the conversation. The bastards set me up!" Ichigo finished. "So how are we going to get back at them?"

"We need ta figure out what'll hit 'em the hardest," Shiro said. "What do they value most? Tha's what we target."

"Right. But it could take a while to come up with plans," Ichigo replied. "Right now, we need damage control so they don't get anything more on me. Ideas?"

"In battle, it is best to direct the flow, not react," Zangetsu stated somberly.

"Meaning?" Ichigo asked with an eye-roll.

"They want ya ta freak out, King. So don't," Shiro grinned. "Ya've already had a freak out, go out and be calm, an' they'll get nervous. Once they get _really_ worried, tha's when we start prankin' 'em!"

"Sounds good. You guys keep working on their weaknesses; I'd better go figure out what the hell they expect me to do now," Ichigo said, then faded from his inner world.

Zangetsu and Shiro remained seated, silence reigning for a few moments as Ichigo rose to consciousness.

"Ya think he's ready yet?" the hollow asked quietly.

"No," Zangetsu replied as he stood to move away. "But soon."

* * *

Waking this time wasn't quite so bad; six taiko drummers had reduced to one, which was much more tolerable. Heaving a sigh, Ichigo sat up slowly, a hand going to his head to stabilize himself through another wave of dizziness. It passed, and the throbbing subsided to a dull ache.

He opened his eyes and examined himself. Yep, those were definitely breasts, although they were thankfully reasonable in size. His arms, legs, waist… heck, all of him looked more slender. The hair hanging over his shoulders was as long as when he was in his final form, but still orange.

He got out of the futon, grabbing his hakama as they started to slide off his hips and tightening the tie. Thankfully, everything he was wearing could be tightened, because everything was smaller… except his chest. _I'll have to go bra shopping,_ he thought with a shudder. _At least I've done it before with Karin and Yuzu._

Deciding he was covered well enough, he picked up Zangetsu (which felt odd, what with him being sealed) and made his way over to the room's sliding door; it lead to a covered walkway looking out over a lake. Not the Kuchiki estate, then, there was a pond there, but no lake. He could hear voices to his left, so he went in that direction. After several closed doors, he found one open, revealing a very familiar group of people: Kyoraku and Ukitake sat sharing a meal with Yoruichi and, surprisingly, Shiba Kūkaku. Their conversation came to an abrupt halt at his appearance, and Kyoraku seemed to become suddenly nervous. Ukitake broke the silence a tense moment later.

"Won't you join us, Kurosaki-san?"

**Remember, King, play it cool,** Shiro muttered.

_Yeah, yeah,_ he grumbled back as he outwardly gave a gentle smile and sat down gracefully next to Yoruichi. _There, that oughta start freaking them out!_

The group did, indeed, looked even more on-edge after his docile entry. Kyoraku and Yoruichi were trying to subtly scoot away from him, waiting for the explosion (although the cat seemed to be eagerly anticipating the blast). Rather than obliging them, Ichigo poured himself a cup of tea and nodded his thanks to the servant who set down his meal before picking up his chopsticks and starting to eat.

"Sooooo, seeing as everyone's gonna be chicken," Kūkaku said with an eye-roll, "how are you feeling, Ichigo?"

"Fine," he replied, internally wondering at how feminine his voice sounded. It wasn't overly girly, more like a grown woman's rich alto. "I did wake up with a headache, like Urahara said I would, although someone should point out to him the difference between 'teensy' and a migraine. It's gone now, though."

"I'm glad to hear that," Ukitake said with a smile. "I suppose you have a few questions for us?"

Ichigo hummed his affirmation as he finished the last bite of his lunch. He neatly set down his chopsticks, smiling again at the servant who came to pick up his dishes. Turning back to the group, he observed them for a moment, noting that the soutaicho and the cat were distinctly further away from him than before, and Kūkaku was looking decidedly amused. **That's it, King, keep 'em off balance. Maybe try your best Gin impersonation? **Shiro mused.

_Interesting, but I've got a better idea. Calm freaks them out, and you freak them out. Can you come forward enough so my eyes go gold? Present a united front, and all that._

Shiro cackled and obligingly moved his presence forward in Ichigo's mind. It meant he got to watch King toy with them directly, so much the better.

"So where are we?" he started quietly; there was just a small hint of an echo in his voice, enough to know that his hollow was very much present. Kūkaku smiled wider, seeing what Ichigo was doing, and Ukitake suppressed a chuckle, while Yoruichi's eyes glittered with amusement. "And how long was I out for?"

"You were unconscious for about two hours," the gentle captain responded. "As for where we are, this is my family's estate, Ugendo. We felt that you would prefer this to the Fourth or the Twelfth."

Ichigo nodded his thanks, then turned to the soutaicho, who flinched at the suddenly hard look on the woman's face. "This is not permanent, correct?"

"No, no, not at all, Kurosaki-san!" he stammered, waving his hands in front of himself. "You'll revert as soon as the collar is taken off!"

"Hnn," Ichigo grunted, hands going to his neck. Odd… he couldn't feel a collar. He glanced questioningly at Yoruichi.

"It's absorbed into your skin," she said. "Anyone can take it off with a basic Kido pulse; raw reiatsu won't work." Her smirk expanded at the intensity of his golden glare.

"I don't suppose you have a mirror handy?" he asked Ukitake.

"Of course, follow me," the captain responded as he rose. Kūkaku followed, wanting to see Ichigo's reaction to his new appearance; Yoruichi and Kyoraku glanced at each other, not sure what to make of the strawberry's calm. They silently agreed that discretion was the better part of valor, and stayed behind (out of that impending blast zone and closer to the sake, as far as Yoruichi was concerned).

Ukitake lead the two women down an internal hall, passing a few doors before he ushered them into a room set up as a bedroom. Unlike the one Ichigo had woken up in, this one had a full length mirror.

Cautiously, Ichigo approached the reflective glass. He studied the woman standing in front of him. _Not bad_, he thought. _Definitely could have been worse._ He mentally responded to Shiro's wolf whistle by flipping him off.

The woman in the mirror looked like a mix of Yuzu and Kūkaku with orange hair. She was around 5'6", with large brown eyes and a strong but not overwhelming nose. Her hair reached past her hips, as she had suspected, and she had spiky bangs, just like his Mugetsu form. Her bust, waist and hips were neatly balanced, and she looked strong, but not overbuilt. Most interesting to Ichigo, though, was the black band about an inch wide around her neck, which seemed to now be his only tattoo; the thick black lines he had acquired with his Fullbring were nowhere in evidence.

"Well, at least I'm hot," he commented nonchalantly as he turned back to his audience. Ukitake raised his eyebrows as Kūkaku snorted.

"Hasn't been an ugly Shiba woman yet," she grinned at him.

"So how is this possible?" Ichigo asked, gesturing at him (her?) self.

"From what Urahara-san told us, the soul form is somewhat more malleable than most of us suppose," Ukitake replied. "He says that he stumbled across this Kido combination when he was originally researching the Hōgyoku. It essentially alters the physical body of a soul to its opposite sex. He claims to have never had use for it before since it alters appearance only, not a soul's actual composition. Psychologically and reproductively speaking, you are still male; you're basically rendered sterile while the Kido is being used."

"Weird," the disguised man responded with a shudder, not wanting to contemplate what other uses Urahara had for this particular gadget, or how he knew that subjects it was used on would be sterile. "So I'm for-sure still a man, even though I have woman parts right now?"

"You got it, Ichi-chan!" Kūkaku responded with a punch to his shoulder. "Cute as you are, I doubt you could cut it as woman!" she grinned at him.

"Thanks… I think?" he said, scrunching his brows as he rubbed his shoulder and tried to figure out whether that was a compliment or not.

Ukitake chuckled, then gestured for the two of them to follow him. "Shall we return to your torture of Shunsui? Your calm approach to the situation seems to be quite effective."

"Aa," Ichigo replied with a wicked grin, his eyes, which had returned to their normal brown, going gold again. "Things this morning seemed a little too… convenient on certain parties' behalf. If they think they're going to get away with it, they're sadly mistaken. Don't worry, though, Ukitake-san, you're not on my shit list."

"A fact that I am both grateful and relieved to hear, Kurosaki-san," the man replied with another gentle smile. "You are, indeed, calm regarding the situation?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm right pissed off," Ichigo said cheerfully. "But Kyoraku-san and Urahara-san are right; it _is_ an effective disguise. They just shouldn't have forced me into it."

"Indeed," Ukitake said somberly as they re-entered the dining room.

Kyoraku perked up a bit as they sat down without an obvious temper tantrum from Ichigo; of course, the three bowls of sake he had managed to drink while they were gone might have been helping too. "So what do you think, Ichi-chan? You make a cute girl, right?!" he exclaimed, not seeming to sense the wave of murderous reiatsu that followed the word "chan".

However, instead of exploding, Ichigo stuck with the plan (no matter how much he wanted to deck the soutaicho) and responded demurely. "It's an acceptable disguise," he said, getting a smirk from Kūkaku that didn't go unnoticed by Yoruichi. "So what now?"

"You're taking this much better than expected, Ichigo," Yoruichi said accusingly, staring at him intently. She wanted fireworks, dammit!

"I'm not fifteen anymore, Yoruichi," he replied calmly. "I recognize the benefits of this form. Now can we get on with it?"

"I guess I'll go let Kisuke know he can come out of his bunker, then," she smirked, heading outside. As she prepared to shunpo away, she turned back and leered at Ichigo. "_All_ the benefits, Ichi-chan?" She barely heard the start of his indignant yell before she was gone, cackling madly.

_Honestly that cat give __**you**__ a run for your money, Shiro,_ Ichigo growled as his hollow laughed.

**She's right, though, King. We could do some… explorin', seein' as we're stuck like this,** the hollow suggested.

_Maybe,_ the berry replied, blushing internally and externally.

_**Think about it later, we have other things to deal with,**_ Zangetsu reminded them both, turning their attention back to the outer world.

"Back to the question at hand," he started, interrupting Kyoraku's attempts to cover up his chuckling and Kūkaku's outright laughter. "What's the next step? I assume I'm headed to the Academy, seeing as I'm already in this form."

"Not directly," Ukitake replied. "We need to establish an identity for you first."

"That's where I come in," Kūkaku jumped in. "Welcome to the Shiba family, little sister!"

"Huh?" Ichigo answered, confused. Wasn't he already a Shiba through his dad?

"The great houses have periodically taken in souls from the Rukongai that have high levels of reiryoku, particularly when they share physical traits with their families," Kyoraku explained, finally getting down to business. "It's thought that these souls are likely family members who have passed through the cycle. They adopt them to care for them, and to keep any prestige the powerful souls might gain.

"Anyone familiar with the Shiba family would take one look at you and assume that you are one of them. Of course, you already are, we're just going to take advantage of it!"

"As a bonus, you will be able to move through the Academy at an accelerated pace, thanks to Kaien-san's performance," Ukitake added, looking slightly strained at the mention of his former lieutenant. Years and forgiveness had dulled the pain, but not erased it.

"We also don't have any elders to worry about, and Ganju and I pretty much keep to ourselves, so nobody is going to be able to say that you haven't been training with us for ten years," Kūkaku said, brushing past the mention of her brother. "So? What do you think?"

"Sounds perfect. Thank you, Kūkaku-san," Ichigo answered, only to receive a smack to the back of his head.

"Kūkaku-_nee_san," a demonic voice insisted.

"Kūkaku-neesan," he replied hastily.

"Welcome to the family, Shiba Ayame!" she cackled.

"Hai, nee-san," Ichigo replied, considering his new name. Ayame was a good choice; it was popular, but not so common that he'd be likely to run into four other girls with the same name at the Academy already. Maybe in a few decades (thank you, Naruto and InuYasha!), but not now. That settled, he turned back to the soutaicho. "What about my division?"

"We're going to hold off a few weeks before we introduce you," Kyoraku said, crossing his arms. "Your death isn't general knowledge yet, so we'll keep it quiet for now. After all, we can't have a new prodigy with orange hair appear at the Academy right after Kurosaki Ichigo takes over the Eighth!"

"They've managed just fine without a captain for the last five years, Kurosaki-kun," Ukitake reassured the younger man. "They'll be alright for a little longer."

"Ok," Ichigo said, feeling better about leaving the division for now. "So, when do we get started?"

"Right now," Kūkaku answered him, and evil glint appearing in her eyes. "Now… we shop!"

"Shop?" Ichigo squeaked. _No, no, no, not with a woman,_ he panicked internally.

**What happen'd ta bra shoppin' bein' ok, King?** Shiro cackled.

_Not with a woman, dumbass! I thought I'd go on my own!_

His hopes were dashed as the she-demon took a firm grip on his shoulder and hauled him up. "Shop," she repeated firmly.

"Hai, nee-san," he responded meekly as he was herded out the door to certain doom.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! Hope you're all having a great holiday season, for those of you celebrating this week, and for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, woohoo! We're past the solstice, the light is coming back! (Yes, this really matters where I live; right now I go in to work when it's dark, and it's dark again by the time I come home.)

A few notes on this chapter: pronouns are starting to change, hopefully I've made it obvious enough that you'll be able to follow along. There's also a het sex scene and implied past yaoi this chapter- if this squicks you, don't read past the second line break. It kind of turned out more explicit than I had wanted, but it also sort of wrote itself... it's the first one I've ever written, tell me if it's horrible?

I'm also looking for feedback on how I'm doing with writing Shiro's accent; I'm honestly struggling with it, let me know what you think, and if there's anything you would suggest to improve it.

On with the show!

**Disclaimer:** I wished for Bleach for Christmas, but I didn't get it. Sadly, still doesn't belong to me.

* * *

Shopping with Kūkaku was surprisingly easy. While she did have a definite sense of style, she was also straightforward and practical. She didn't waste time looking at everything in every shop, and she wasn't afraid to pay for what she wanted, so there was no intense bargain hunting. Ichigo was set up with a decent wardrobe in short order: a good selection of everyday yukata, two formal kimono, sleepwear, and even some casual and work-out clothes from the real world.

Then the torture started.

Underwear. Why did women's underwear have to be so complicated? Honestly, guys only really had to deal with three options in modern times: boxers, briefs or banana hammocks (not that he would _ever_ be caught dead in one of those!). But women's underwear… my god, it was ridiculous! Panties, thongs, boy shorts, bikini briefs, shapers, and that scrappy excuse known as the g-string! And this was _before_ even considering material! And only his bottom half!

No, no he could do this! He was tough, he didn't back down from things! (Shiro was nearly having hysterics in his head, but that was all the more reason to get it done with!) So he took a deep, steadying breath, drew himself up tall, and marched right on into the store…

…And ran straight into Rangiku. The gods hated him.

"Ayame-chan!" she squealed, having obviously been informed of his new name. "I've been waiting for _hours_! I thought you'd be here sooner," she pouted.

Ichigo was bright red at this point. He could do calm and brave for lunch, hell, he could deal with clothes shopping with his new sister (this relationship having been firmly reinforced via his skull all afternoon). But lingerie shopping with Rangiku?

He was so screwed.

"Ma…Matsumoto-san!" he squeaked. "I didn't realize you were expecting me!" He shot a hard look at Kūkaku, asking her if she had set this up. She grinned but shook her head. So no, but she wasn't above being entertained by his situation.

Matsumoto grabbed his attention back by glomping him and squealing again. "Of course, sweetie, now that you've blossomed into womanhood, I have to make sure you get only the best to show off your assets," she said with a wink. Ichigo sighed, knowing that there was no way he was getting out of this, and the clerk hovering near them covered a smile.

**Now that ya've gotten past tha' bit, King, how abou' stickin' ta th' plan?** Shiro muttered.

_True_, Ichigo thought back, a devilish smirk crossing his face for a moment. Kūkaku caught it, her smile widening as she realized how Ichigo was going to play this. Shiro was now cackling in his head.

**Let th' games begin!**he cried.

And so they did, as Ichigo drew back from the hug with a smile and assumed a bubbly-shy-excited attitude, suitable to a young girl shopping for her first real lingerie. He squealed, bounced around the store, blushed looking at some of the racier panties (that was partly real), and shot sideways glances at the sexy lingerie in one corner of the shop, as though he wanted to try some but was too shy to ask. The sales lady was completely taken in, doing her utmost to help this sweet young girl find what she needed.

Rangiku, on the other hand, was decidedly off balance, although one would have to know her to see it. It was apparent to Ichigo and Kūkaku, showing in the sidelong glances, occasional brow-furrowing, and the increasingly skimpy lingerie she pushed at Ichigo, trying to disconcert him. He didn't give in, though; whenever he started to blanch at something, Shiro chimed in, reminding him of occasions where a piece like that could be useful (even if Ichigo still wasn't all that sure about sex in this body). The hollow also pointed out the benefits of keeping up the act; after all, Matsumoto was Soul Society's foremost gossip. Perplex her, and you had perplexed them all.

It took over two hours to get him fitted for bras (it turned out he was a 34C, which he could live with), select colours and materials, find matching panties, and get enough other panties to complete her collection, all of which had to coordinate with at least one of the bras he bought. Having Rangiku there ended up being a blessing in disguise; she offered advice he would have never considered. Some things made immediate sense, like getting bras that you could cross the straps at the back so that they weren't forever falling off your shoulders. Others needed more explaining, and resulted in some very _interesting_ conversations.

"Aaahhh!" Ichigo squeaked as a thong was deposited into his "buy" pile of panties. "Matsumoto-san, I don't think I can wear these!" He picked them up gingerly, as though they were going to attack him.

She grinned at him, then looked him in the eye, offering a sincere explanation. "Trust me sweety, you're going to want them. When you're a shinigami, you move around a lot, sometimes in very strange patterns. It's a very athletic job, you know that. All the panties you've picked up so far are good choices for an office day or light training, but when you really get into it, they'll _ride_."

"Ride?" Ichigo asked, confused. Rangiku giggled at his naivety.

"Up your bum, Ayame-chan! Trust me, the last thing you want when you're fighting, especially in the field, is to be distracted by uncomfortable shifting underwear! The thongs will feel a little bit strange when you start wearing them, but you'll get used to it really fast. Better to have something that will stay put and not bother you," she smiled at him, depositing at least a dozen more thongs onto his pile. Then her eyes took on a positively evil glint. "Besides, they're easier to move out of the way for a quickie!"

"Matsumoto!" he shrieked, going bright red with embarrassment. Kūkaku and the sales lady positively howled with laughter.

"What?" she exclaimed. "With how pretty you are, you're not going to be short of offers at the Academy!"

"I'm not going to the Academy to get laid! I'm going to learn to be a good shinigami!" Ichigo shot back.

"Ayame-chan, what do you know about shinigami attitudes towards sex?" the fukutaicho asked.

Ichigo gave her a puzzled look, wondering why she was asking this all of a sudden. He had had this conversation with her present before, after all, one very drunken night at Renji's apartment shortly after the Vandenreich invasion. She, Renji, Rukia, Hisagi, Ikkaku and Yumichika had embarrassed him to no end that night in the name of educating him about sex. "Like you've told me before," he started out to remind her, "most shinigami are bisexual, and there's no real prejudice towards those that aren't. Monogamy is pretty rare, although many shinigami, the older ones especially, have a partner or two that they prefer. Oh, and that taking many partners is considered normal and healthy. Why?"

"Did we ever talk about _why_ things are that way?"

"Not really," Ichigo responded absently, sifting through more panties. Rangiku sighed, setting down the thongs she had been picking through and looking him in the eye. He could tell that whatever she was about to tell him was important, so he turned away from his own pile to give her his full attention.

"It's a stressful lifestyle, Ayame-chan, being a shinigami. You can be thrown into life and death situations at the drop of a hat, along with all your friends, lovers and comrades. You never know who's going to make it through the day; very few shinigami die of natural causes, after all. On top of that, the most powerful of us measure our life spans in centuries, if not millennia. We watch those less powerful come and go, leaving us to reenter the cycle; sometimes we even see them coming back again, though they don't know it. Between that emotional stress and the physical and mental stress of controlling so much power and being responsible for so many souls, we can become easily overburdened. When that happens, our reiatsu becomes turbulent and our powers unstable, more difficult to control.

"For shinigami, sex isn't just about physical release and emotional connection; we literally _need_ the release it provides for our reiatsu in order to keep us steady." She glanced around, making sure the sales lady was out of hearing range. Looking back at him, she carried on quietly. "That's part of why you had such a hard time controlling your power as a teenager. Do you remember how your reiatsu felt after your first time?"

"Calm," he said. "It was like someone had wrapped me in a warm blanket, containing all the surges that I normally have. I actually freaked out a bit at the feeling the first time. It took Re… my partner a while to calm me down and reassure me that that was normal," he finished, feeling sheepish and hoping she hadn't picked up on his stumble. After all, if Matsumoto knew who his first was, everyone would, and he wanted to keep that private, thank you very much.

"And since then?" she asked.

Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized that he had gotten that calm feeling whenever he had sex. It had never been as intense as his first time, and he had always dismissed it as post-orgasmic euphoria brought on by the hormone surge, but now that he thought about it, it was true that his reiatsu was always calmer and easier to control when he got laid. "Huh. I guess so," he muttered. In his mind, Shiro snorted.

**Now ya know why I'm always pushin' ya t' get out there an' fuck,** he grumbled. **Didn't I tell ya it'd make ya calmer?**

_You didn't say it'd make my reiatsu easier to manage!_

**Tha's what calmer means ta me, moron! 'Sides, we've been over this; I'm your instincts, I know what ya need. Ya should listen ta me!**

_Oh, so the last four years of me fucking around are me totally ignoring you?!_

_**Moving on,**_ Zangetsu jumped in, interrupting them before they could get into a full on brawl and redirecting Ichigo's attention back to Matsumoto.

"So what happens if I don't get laid for a while?" he asked, blushing again. "And why isn't masturbation enough?"

"Second question first," she said with a grin. "You know how when you fight another shinigami, your reiatsu will reach out and challenge theirs?"

"Like what happened during my first fight with Kenpachi?"

"Exactly; it actually happens all the time, you just don't usually notice it because your reiatsu sensing sucks. That happens during sex, too, but instead of challenging, your reiatsu entwines with your partner's and creates a sort of flow. That's what stabilizes it and smoothes out the spikes. You don't get that when you fly solo." She winked at him and gave him a nudge with her elbow, getting another blush.

"As for your first question, older shinigami with a lot of control over their reiryoku circulation can usually go for a while without any consequences; a couple of years on the outside. The problems manifest themselves slower in those people, starting with little fluctuations that occur at random times after around two years. Then they get sudden dips that start around eight years; and by twelve years, the dips and spikes they experience can start to effect their emotions as well, kind of like PMS. The longer they go, the crazier they get, which is why Kurotsuchi-taicho was a total whack-job; rumor has it he hadn't had sex in over two hundred years when he died," she said with a grin.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, a sudden realization coming to him. "Maybe that's why my dad is nuts! I'm pretty sure he hasn't gotten laid since Mom died," he finished more quietly, the familiar sadness flowing over him at the thought of his mother.

Rangiku gave him a bright grin. "Nah," she scoffed. "Isshin-taicho's always been nuts, and I know that he got laid pretty regularly before he left."

"She's right about that," Kūkaku chimed in for the first time in the conversation. "He's always been a bit crazy. He's also always had iron control of his reiryoku circulation; he's more of a natural at it than most Shibas. It has been, what, fourteen years, though? If he goes much longer, we may start to see some issues."

"I suppose he didn't have his power for a lot of those years," Ichigo mused, shuddering at the thought of his dad even crazier than he was now. "I guess we'll have to find him someone soon."

"Mmm," Rangiku hummed in agreement, trying to think if any of her old taicho's partners would be willing to take him back. Then she brightened. "So do you understand why you're going to need sex regularly?"

Ichigo sighed. "I guess the amount of time I'll be at the Academy will be too long?"

Kūkaku snorted. "For someone with your level of control? Yes. A week would probably be too long!"

"Come on, I'm not that bad," Ichigo whined, wincing at the thought of _having_ to have sex in a female body. Yes, he had contemplated it briefly as something that _might_ be interesting, but it was different being told it was something he needed to do.

"Yes, Ayame-chan, you are that bad. You didn't get those Shiba genes, that's for sure!" Kūkaku exclaimed, throwing a pair of panties at him. The conversation basically degenerated into a squabble from there as they turned back to selecting underwear; it left Ichigo with a lot to think about, though.

Later, as they finally went to pay and leave, Ichigo observed his new underwear collection. He had ended up with two sports bras, two demi-cut bras (one red and one a pale blue), and a black lace bra that Rangiku insisted on, saying he needed _something_ sexy; to go along with these were matching panties and thongs for all of them, and a huge pile of other underwear, mostly bikini cut or thongs, with a few boy shorts thrown in for variety. He wasn't sure how many pairs were there, but guessed that he could now go at least six weeks without doing laundry. Rangiku threw one last item onto the pile, making him raise an eyebrow at her.

"Double-sided tape?"

"A woman's best friend!" she chirped. "Honestly, how do you think I manage to never actually _have_ a wardrobe malfunction?"

"I always figured you weren't actually wearing a bra, and you just did up your kimono really tightly," he remarked.

"God, no!" Matsumoto scoffed. "You'll figure out fast enough, Ayame-chan, that going without a bra is extremely painful, especially when you've got assets like mine! Before the Living World developed bras, we used to have to use bindings. I've never been so happy to get rid of something out of my wardrobe as I was those! Bras are so much easier, and more sexy!"

"What did you do before double-sided tape?" Kūkaku asked curiously as the sales lady bagged their purchases.

"I used to stitch my bra to my inner kimono," the fukutaicho responded, bowing and murmuring thanks to the clerk with the others as they left. "It was a pain to get on and off, but it worked."

"So that's all the shopping," Ichigo commented as they wandered away from the lingerie store. "What next?"

"Next," a voice behind them chimed in, causing Matsumoto to freeze with a small squeak, "my fukutaicho gets back to the office, where she is supposed to be doing paperwork." Toshiro stalked forward and glared at his wayward lieutenant, sparing a nod for the Shibas.

"Well, it's been fun, Kūkaku-san, Ayame-chan," she chirped. "Gotta go!" And with that, she took off in shunpo, decidedly _not_ in the direction of the 10th division.

Toshiro's eye ticked as he glared after his lieutenant. "MATSUMOTO!" he roared, and with a blast of icy reiatsu, took off after her, leaving Ichigo and Kūkaku looking at each other. A giggle was followed a snort, which soon developed into full on howls of laughter.

"He'll never learn to put a leash on her, will he?" Ichigo chuckled as the he wiped tears away from his eyes.

"Nope," Kūkaku responded. "But it is a constant source of entertainment for most of Seireitei!"

"True, that!" the redhead laughed. "So, seriously, what next?"

"Well, we've got three weeks until you can enter the Academy. They're just finishing a term now; entrance exams for next term are in a week. That means you've got a week to learn how to fight in this form; Yoruichi will be helping you with that. I'll also be bashing some Kidō into your head so you don't totally disgrace the Shiba name. So now we go home, and get started."

Ichigo groaned at the mention of Kidō; the next week was clearly going to be painful. _Maybe if I can get this reiryoku circulation stuff down, it won't be so bad,_ he thought.

**Tha's exactly it, King,** Shiro replied. **But ya're forgetin' learnin' ta fight as a girl.**

_It's still my body,_ he replied. _How hard can it be?_

* * *

It was hard.

Three days later found Ichigo flat on his back in the training area under Soukyoku Hill, panting as he tried to catch his breath. He had quickly learned that fighting in his female body was not at all the same as fighting as a male. Six inches of height made a lot of difference, apparently, since he could no longer bear down on opponents from above- that and he lacked the upper body strength to do it. And his boobs were throwing absolutely _everything_ off, his balance, his stances, his blade work, hell, his aim! None of the drills or kata he had been working on for the past three days were going smoothly. All in all, it was beyond frustrating.

"Gah!" he groaned as he sat up, his abused muscles protesting. "Yoruichi-san, this isn't working!"

"Of course it isn't working, idiot, you're sitting on your butt!" the evil cat growled back at him. "You'll never get this figured out if you don't GET MOVING!"

As she roared the last two words, the cat sprung, morphing to human mid-leap. She came at him in a flurry of high-speed hakuda, forcing the younger woman to fall back as she tried to defend herself from the attacking naked ex-taicho. "Yoruichi, CLOTHES!" he cried, blushing furiously. He couldn't cover his eyes or look away, if he did he was toast! They had been training for three days, but his mentor hadn't come at him like this!

"Aaahahahahaha! Am I making you uncomfortable, Ayame-chan?" Yoruichi cackled as she continued her assault.

"YES!" he screamed as he fell on his butt again, overbalancing as he tried to dodge. _Stupid boobs!_ he cursed in his head, trying to roll and recover.

**Ya lasted longer tha' time,** Shiro observed. **And ya may as well enjoy th' view!**

_Shut up!_

Taking pity on her student, Yoruichi backed off to let her (she was already thinking of him as a her) get up again. "Why does it make you uncomfortable, Ayame-chan? It's nothing you don't have, and unless you haven't showered in three days, you've already seen it all!"

"It just does, ok? I'm trying to get used my own body still, I don't need to see yours!" Ichigo growled at her as he got to his feet.

"I'll make you a deal, then," the cat said with a smirk, planting her hands on her hips. "For every hit you land on me, I'll put on one article of clothing. BUT!" she interrupted as she saw Ayame starting to light up, "for every time I knock you on your ass, you're going to take one off!"

"WHAT!" the girl squawked. "What is this, strip training?!"

"Exactly! Consider it motivation!"

"You've been spending way too much time with Urahara lately," the berry grumbled, dropping himself into as comfortable a stance as he had managed so far.

"You're wrong, Ayame-chan… he's been spending too much time with me!" And with that, Yoruichi exploded into motion, putting the girl on the defensive again.

Four hours later, Ichigo was finally moving well enough in his new body that Yoruichi declared him as ready as she could get him. Of course, he had lost most of his clothes in the process, being down to his panties and bra, but at least he had managed to get Yoruichi into underwear, a bra and trousers. Not that that really helped, because the instant she declared they were done, the cat dumped him in the hot spring, then stripped again before jumping in herself. Ichigo spluttered as he came to the surface, going red again when he spied a once again naked Yoruichi and swearing at Shiro, who was alternating between laughing and making lewd comments in his mind.

"Honestly, Yoruichi-san!"

"What? Now that we're done motivating you into fighting form, we've got to fix that blushing issue! Honestly, I thought you'd get over it when you popped your cherry," she said with an eye-roll. "It has occurred to you that you're going to be bathing with the women at the Academy, right? You can't go red every time you see a naked woman!"

Ichigo kept his eyes tightly closed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course it has! Besides, it's not naked women I have a problem with, it's naked _you_!"

"Oi! What's wrong with naked me? I have a beautiful body!"

"_Exactly_, Yoruichi-san! You and Urahara-san are right up there with my parents on the list of people I really don't want to think of _that_ way, and with everything else that's happened lately, I… I…." he trailed off, hiccupping as he tried to not burst into tears. He was startled into looking up as arms drew him to the older woman's shoulder, cradling his head.

"It's ok, Ichigo," Yoruichi murmured.

"What's happening, Yoruichi," he whimpered, still trying to hold back the crying. Dammit, this wasn't him! He was strong, he was a protector, he didn't cry!

"It's the hormones, Ichigo, and the stress. It's been a tough week; you've died, had to leave your family and friends behind, been forced into a new shape and had new expectations heaped on you. Let it out," she replied gently, stroking his hair. That finally did it; the dam broke and he burst into tears.

Ten minutes later, the sobbing had subsided and he was catching his breath, still being cradled by Yoruichi. He felt so ashamed of himself for completely losing control. He tried to pull away from his mentor, but she refused to let him move.

"Ichigo," she said calmly, tilting his chin up to look into tear-swollen eyes. "You're not weak. In fact, you're stronger than I thought. With the upheaval in your life of the last few days, I had thought you would have broken down sooner. Don't be ashamed that you cried; it's ok to cry. Acknowledge that it happened, take a deep breath, and move forward."

_**Move forward, Ichigo,**_ Zangetsu echoed. _**Never stand still. **_

**Retreat and you'll age,** Shiro continued.

"Hesitate and you'll die," Ichigo murmured, finishing their mantra.

"Eh?" Yoruichi asked, looking down at Ichigo.

"Zangetsu and Shiro are reminding me that I am still me," he answered, sitting up. "Thank you, Yoruichi-san, for being here for me."

"Any time, kid," she replied. "Now, I know you already talked to Matsumoto-san about your body's needs; I'm going to let Kūkaku know that you're taking the night off. Skip your Kidō lesson for tonight, and get yourself sorted out."

* * *

The sun had long since set when Renji's evening was interrupted by a knock on his door. His face broke into a wide grin when he opened it to find a beautiful ginger on the other side.

"Ayame-chan!" he exclaimed happily. "No one's seen you in days! C'mon in!" She smiled as she followed him into his apartment, leaving her shoes at the door. "So how's your training going?" he asked as he went into the kitchen for a bottle of sake.

"It sucked until about six hours ago, when Yoruichi finally found the right buttons to push," Ichigo replied as he settled himself at the table. "Renji, why does everyone keep calling me Ayame? I mean, I know I need to get used to it, but I wasn't expecting it from you, too, especially when we're in private."

"To be honest, it's kind of hard to think of you as 'Ichigo' when you're sitting here as a beautiful woman," he replied as he poured the sake. "It's a bit of a mind-fuck. Easier just to think of the woman as Ayame."

"Mmm," Ichigo hummed as he downed the shot. Renji raised his eyebrows before he followed suit; Ichigo didn't usually start out hard on the liquor.

"I suppose that makes sense," the berry said. "For the last three days, I've been thinking of myself as male, despite all this," he gestured to his body. "I haven't given up on the idea that I'm a guy. But… maybe you're right. Ichigo is a man. Right now, I'm not Ichigo, I'm Ayame."

"I'm not tryin' to say that this makes you any less of a man, Ichigo," Renji replied seriously as he poured more sake for both of them.

"But does that make Ayame any less of a woman?" she murmured, peering down at the table.

"No," he answered, leaning over and tilting her chin up.

The kiss was gentle. There was no demand, not competition for dominance. Instead, he slowly and sweetly caressed her mouth with his own, slowly coaxing her into responding. She pulled away before too long, though. "I don't know, Renji, it's weird," she said, turning away from him.

"Ayame… Ichigo, you need this," he replied, cupping her cheek and turning her back to him. Her beautiful brown eyes stared at him, full of uncertainty. "You trusted me once before. Trust me again?"

She took a deep breath, considering his offer. Even though the red-haired fukutaicho was usually a wildcat in bed, he could also be a very tender lover. It hadn't been a mistake before, giving him his virginity; Renji had taken care of him, being gentle and sweet for his first time, before helping him learn about all the fun that could be had between two men. And Ichigo knew that this had to happen eventually, it was what he had come here for tonight. He tossed down his second shot of sake, then turned back to his friend, trembling ever so slightly. "Alright," he whispered.

Warmth spread through Renji as Ichigo placed his trust in him yet again. He leaned in and kissed her again, more passionately this time; he felt her trembling ease as it gave way to the heat of desire. Breaking the kiss, he gently guided her to her feet, then down the hall to his bedroom, where he sat them down facing each other on the futon.

"I'm going to tell you a couple of things, the same as I did last time," he said quietly but seriously. "First, if you need me to stop or slow down, then tell me. You always have that choice; I won't force you into anything.

"Second, I'm going to keep calling you Ayame." He held up a hand as Ichigo opened his mouth to protest. "Remember what we just talked about? Right now, you're not a man, Ichigo; Ayame is just as much of a woman as Ichigo is a man, and has just as much right to be a sexual being." Reluctantly, Ichigo… no, Ayame, it was time to start thinking of himself that way; understanding, she nodded.

"The last thing you need to know is that, knowing Urahara, this body still has a hymen, despite your being very much _not_ a virgin as Ichigo," Renji finished with a grin while Ayame scowled, realizing that he was probably right.

"That means this is going to hurt, doesn't it?" she asked with a frown on her face.

"It probably will, but it doesn't have to be awful as long as I take my time preparing you properly, just like when we did this with you as Ichigo," Renji responded, rising from the futon to grab something from his closet. He returned with a medium-sized towel. "The difference is that you're likely to bleed a bit, so I'm going to put this under you; after all, there's no sense in ruining the sheets," he finished with a wink.

"Great, you're worried about your sheets, not me," Ayame said sarcastically, grabbing the towel from him to snap it at him. Renji grinned as he dodged, knowing he had succeeded in lightening the mood a bit. He allowed her to chase him with the towel for a couple of minutes (all the while cussing at him and calling him a pineapple and a stupid baboon) before catching the end of it and using it to draw her to him for a kiss. The towel was dropped onto the futon as passion began to build; heat flooded both of their bodies, skin became sensitive, and hands began to roam, slipping clothes off.

"You're beautiful, Ayame," Renji murmured when she finally lay naked beneath him. She blushed but responded with another passionate kiss.

He took his time with her, like he had promised, exploring her new body with her. Neither one of them could help comparing Ayame's body to Ichigo's; they found that, while many of the sensitive spots remained the same, some were different. She still shivered when the back of her neck was stroked, and moaned when he bit the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her nipples were surprisingly less sensitive than Ichigo's, but they found that Renji could drive her mad caressing the undersides of her breasts. And her groin… well, that was difficult to compare. The tension, the pooling heat in the stomach that signaled an impending orgasm, that was the same, but there was this need, this oh so good _ache_ to be filled that hadn't been there before.

Renji brought her to orgasm twice, gently stretching her with his fingers during the second, before he entered her. There was a sharp stab of pain as her hymen tore, causing her to whimper and tense up. He stilled, stroking her flanks and kissing her tenderly to calm her. When she was ready for him to move, she gave him a smile and a nod. He kissed her deeply and started a slow, steady rhythm; gradually, she rose to meet him, until on a particularly deep thrust, he hit something that sent a jolt through her. "What was that?" she asked, slightly shocked.

"Your cervix," he answered, slowing. "Do you like it? Not everyone does," he asked, nudging it again.

"Hmmm," she replied. "I'm not sure. Just keep going."

He did as she asked, returning to the steady, powerful strokes they had been enjoying before. Gradually, their reiatsu started to rise, meeting and tangling as their bodies were; now that Ayame knew about it, she could feel it happening. Their movement became more erratic as they approached the edge, she falling off first with a wordless cry, and he following a few thrusts later with a moan of, "Oh god, Ayame!"

Renji came down from his high first, shifting off of her and gently withdrawing. The slight pain from his retreat brought her back to herself, but she didn't move much, content to let him tenderly clean her up with the towel. She sighed as she snuggled into his chest, settling in for the night. "Feel better?" he asked as they lay quietly, his hand running up and down her side.

"Yes," she replied. "It's different, but the same… I dunno, it's hard to explain."

"Makes sense."

"Hmm. Thank you," she said softly, stretching up to kiss him.

"Any time," he answered with a lecherous grin, getting her to smack his chest, but grin in reply. She snuggled back into him and, feeling calmer than she had since this whole thing had started, gently drifted off to sleep.


End file.
